Pearlescent Tears
by muchachaporfavor
Summary: SEQUEL TO CRYSTALLINE KEY. When darkness threatens to engulf the worlds again, a spirit of hope is born from a Keyblader's pearlescent tears with a mission to gather the Elemental Keybladers and guide them along the path to the light. R&R.
1. Heartless: Back

Pearlescent Tears

Summary: SEQUEL TO CRYSTALLINE KEY **Rain:** It was falling outside. It was falling down her cheeks and onto her damp pillow. It was the name of the girl alone in her dim-lit home, crying. Sad, longing Raine. **Sky:** So bright and cheerful. The exact opposite feelings of the being whose name bared its meaning. Depressed, lonely Sora. **Ground:** So strong and dirty. Just like Riku was. Strong as always on the outside, but feeling dirty for kissing another guy's girl. **Pearls:** Beautiful and mysterious, just like the new girl on the island. Cheerful, sarcastic, and kind, like Raine, yet so different in physical appearance. Could the two somehow be connected...? Riku/OC/Sora, Sora/OC(in the end)

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or their characters… just Raine and Shinju.

Quick Note: HI GUYS! I'M BAAAAACK! - Miss me? Hopefully so… Anyways, I'm back with a MAINLY Riku/OC fic, since Raine won't be in the story for a LONG WHILE. Anyways, I'm hoping I can pull out fifteen chapters in this. BTW, here's how this junk will work:

Thoughts are in italics and between apostrophes. Bold words are emphasized. Italics and bold are singing. 

/-----POVs will look like this except with the name of the person in the middle-----/

_……Passing time looks like this 'cept with the amount of time in the middle……_

For a VERY detailed description of Shinju (and soon a picture), go to my HomePage on my profile.

Here's the first chapter of my first sequel, Heartless: Back!

**/****------Raine------/******

A sob could be heard throughout the silent house, then a whimper. Another sob. A hiccup. The light in the house was tinted grayish blue from the rain clouds outside, matching the way I felt alone in my room.

I'd been like this ever since I left the game, ever since I'd left Sora. The pitter-patter of large raindrops on the roof was not enough to calm me, as it usually was. With every flash of lightning, I sobbed. Every clap of thunder, I yelped. Countless times I'd scraped the surface of my PlayStation2 game system with the heart-shaped sapphire pendant on the end of my silver chain. So many times that there were scratch marks on the PS2. Many a time my parents or younger brother found me screaming at the game to let me back into the Kingdom Hearts world. They always thought I meant my PS2 had frozen, and I was yelling at it to let me resume play.

But I wasn't. I'd fall to my knees and sob in front of the PS2, scraping the necklace across the PS2. I'd beg and plead for it to let me in, but nothing would ever happen.

I felt like my world had shattered around me, leaving me to hover in a void without emotion for all eternity. My heart did not exist any more. Or, at least, not my heart that held my love. My real heart, the heart that's part of my circulatory system, still beats rhythmically within me. But my heart, the heart that is universal symbol of love, was in pieces.

I sobbed hysterically at the thought of red shards of my heart falling, falling into a black abyss devoid of any positive emotion; the abyss that caused my grades to drop, the abyss that made me weep every night, the abyss that was the hole through which Sora was pushed out of my life, the abyss that expanded, just as the universe did, with every passing day without him.

_'The shards would only fall back in place if I were to see him again…'_ I thought sadly. My eyelids became heavier and heavier. I found myself drifting in and out of consciousness.

Then I saw black nothingness.

**/------Reader------/**

The sounds in the house stopped. The sixteen-year-old Raine had cried herself to sleep, pearlescent tears streaming down her cheeks. The tears began to glow every color of the rainbow. They gently lifted from her face, and formed the small figure of a girl with angelic wings. The girl looked as if she were a figurine, for there weren't enough tears to make her larger. She hovered over Raine, looking at her with pity.

_'Maybe, just maybe, I can go find a way for her to visit him whenever she wishes. But I'll have to go into the game to do so… hmm…' _The figurine girl looked around, and, seeing nothing that would help her on her quest, sighed. _'Great. Since I don't have any tools with me, and this girl doesn't have any in her room, I'll have to send my soul to take on the body of a girl.'_

The figurine flew to the PS2, hovered over it, and closed her eyes in concentration. She muttered, "Lne tzm yks oiu lri nwt oqt hce gsa mfe." In angel tongue, this meant 'let my soul into the game'. A smoky lavender light pulled itself from her open mouth, and flew into the game. The tears that made up the figurine girl separated from her body and fell onto the PS2.

**/------Sora------/**

I sat on the Paopu Tree, looking down at the star-shaped fruit I held delicately in my hands. _'Paopu fruit… I'd always wanted to give one to her…' _The very thought of her made my heart sting with emotional pain. Why didn't she live in my dimension? If she'd lived in this dimension, none of this pain would have ever come to me.

_'No, I can't blame her. I have to stop doing that.'_ I sighed and looked out to the spot I first saw her. I felt the pain again. Technically, it wasn't the **pain**, but the pain**s**. I felt it in the front of my mind, the back of my mind, the bottom of my stomach, in my calves, in my forearms, and in my chest, where my heart is located.

I was torn from my pensive state when I heard a, "Hey there, Sora". I didn't need to look up to see who it was. Nor did I want to. She'd been trying to use the same wannabe-seductive tone of voice all week. It was the girl I thought I loved before Raine came along. It was Kairi.

Kairi had been trying to get me to share a Paopu with her since the day I returned to the island after Raine left. The only time I looked her way nowadays was to send her a slight glare.

I got off the tree, cradling the Paopu in my arms. I vowed to one day get Raine back and share a Paopu Fruit with her, a fruit that would bind us together for eternity.

**/------Riku------/**

I passed Sora on my way to the beach. "Hey Sora," I greeted. Sora lazily lifted a hand to wave at me. I sighed and watched Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka try to cheer him up for the hundredth time. They knew they wouldn't succeed, but they kept trying.

_'If only someone would tell **me **it's okay…' _I longed for someone to genuinely smile at **me** and honestly tell **me** that I can stop worrying about kissing Raine, when I'd certainly known she loved Sora, and Sora loved her. If only someone would pat **me** on the back, and console me. I sighed again, running a gloved hand through my silver strands. I remembered the kiss as if it were yesterday. So enticing, so lustful. I was so sure I'd won her over, so sure that she decided that she was **my** property. But I'd been wrong.

My jealousy of Sora helped me escape Kingdom Hearts, and make it back here. Only when I saw how miserable he was did I stop hating him and start pitying him.

…But I still feel a slight tinge of envy when I think about Raine.

_……Sunset……Reader's POV………_

The sun was an orange-red semicircle, one half of it hidden behind the horizon. The sky was orange-gold near the sun, and then it faded into pink, then purple, then starry blue, then midnight blue. Three friends –well, two friends and one boy-crazy girl- sat on the Paopu Tree, looking out to the vast ocean. How long ago had they thought they could reach another world on a mere raft?

"Two years…" Riku said, seeming to answer the previous question. Sora nodded silently.

Kairi added, "Since we went on a wonderful adventure." Sora raised a brow.

"**We? **You were unconscious for the whole thing." Kairi glared at him and Sora laughed. Riku was unusually silent, just like the day they had found Raine…

Sora's eyes immediately darted to the exact spot Raine had washed up on that day, and saw there actually **was** a figure lying in the sand. Instead of Riku being the first to leave to check it out, this time it was Sora. _'Please let it be Raine…'_ Unfortunately for Sora, whose eyes had brightened at the thought of her returning, his eyes dulled again as they reflected a mane of lavender hair. He lifted a gloved hand, moving strands away her face to see what she looked like. After all, Raine could have dyed her hair.

She had a creamy complexion, similar to Raine's, and a body shape also similar to Raine's. The femme looked to be the same age, too. She wore a white spaghetti strap top and short khaki shorts. What seemed to be a navy blue half-skirt was tied around her waist, and upon her feet were starry blue ballet slippers without the ribbons. _'Please open your eyes… please let them be Raine's eyes.'_

"Hey Sora! Is she alive?" Kairi called as she and Riku ran up. The girl groaned softly, stirring, and then her eyes fluttered open. Sora's cerulean blue optics dulled even more at their color. Most of the irises were off-white, the only thing distinguishing that she **had** irises were the faint silver outline where the irises would be. Her pupils were a darker silver, and as she moved her head, her eyes seemed to tint different colors. They reminded Sora of pearls.

"Wh…where am I? Did I make it?" she asked, her voice audible yet wispy. It was as though, if it could take form, it would be wispy, rising smoke from lavender incense. It was not at all Raine's voice.

"You're on Destiny Islands, and yeah, you're alive." Kairi said. The girl looked to all three of them, blinking.

"Does one of you know someone by the name of… I think it was 'Sora'?" she asked. Upon hearing his name, Sora blinked.

"Umm… yeah. That's me. Why? And who are you?" The girl jumped up, smiled, and clapped her hands once. She threw her arms around Sora, then pulled back and danced around with him.

"Well **that** was easy! It didn't take me long at all to find you!" She stopped dancing, and answered, "I'm Shinju, and I'm here to help Raine see you again." The Keywielder's eyes widened.

Sora's throat became dry, but he managed to get out, "How… how d'you know Raine?"

Shinju blinked for a moment. "Er… I'm her… cousin." She answered. He nodded numbly as Shinju thought, _'What would I be classified as? Protector, maybe? Or maybe daughter, since I was born from her tears?'_ She shook her head. _'Definitely not a daughter. It'd be too weird to have a mom my age.'_

"Did you hear me?" a masculine voice snapped her out of her thoughts. Riku had spoken while she'd been in a thoughtful state.

"Er… sorry, I didn't." She flushed slightly when the silver-haired male smiled, giving a small 'It's fine.'

"I said, that's Sora, as you know. That's Kairi," he pointed to Kairi with his thumb as he said this. "And I'm Riku," he finished, pushing his thumb onto his chest. A sudden explosion and scream in the distance caused them all to look to their right, except Shinju, who was looking to her left since she was standing opposite the others. Smoke slowly rose from a place on the other side of the island. The smoke rose into the sky, creating dark storm clouds that were all too familiar. Sora's and Riku's eyes narrowed, and Sora's Keyblade materialized in his hand as Kairi clung to him.

"Kairi, go warn the other islands. I'm going to go see if it's really true. Riku, you-"

Riku interrupted, "I'll go with Kairi and take Shinju, so I can battle anything that tries to harm them." Sora nodded, then ran off.

"Let's g-WOAH!" Riku looked up to see Shinju with angelic wings similar to her eye colour flapping just above her. There was no doubt in his mind those wings were attached to her back. Kairi was whimpering and whining, saying things like, "PUT ME DOWN!", "I hate heights!", and "I'm gonna kill you if you drop me!"

"I'll take you to each island. It will be faster than going by boat, since a storm is brewing." She nodded slightly toward the rotating black clouds, which were flashing slightly with purple thunder. Little glowing, yellow circles were starting to appear inside the clouds, and the bodies of familiar creatures were also starting to form in them. It confirmed Riku's fears: Ansem was indeed back.

**-----------/End Chapter/--------------**

Yay! I've finally redone the chappie! Sorreh, Ashley, if you read this, but Jade's not gonna be in this. It's too hard for me to do Shounen-ai, and since you'll be at you other Grandma's house for most of the summer…

Anyways, couples:

RikuShinjuSora – Riku likes her just because, and Sora likes her because, personality wise, she's a lot like Raine.

SoraRaine – Not 'til the very end, since Raine won't be in most of this.

And that's about it. Well, 'til next time!


	2. Adventure: Begun

Pearlescent Tears

Summary: SEQUEL TO CRYSTALLINE KEY **Rain:** It was falling outside. It was falling down her cheeks and onto her damp pillow. It was the name of the girl alone in her dim-lit home, crying. Sad, longing Raine. **Sky:** So bright and cheerful. The exact opposite feelings of the being whose name bared its meaning. Depressed, lonely Sora. **Ground:** So strong and dirty. Just like Riku was. Strong as always on the outside, but feeling dirty for kissing another guy's girl. **Pearls:** Beautiful and mysterious, just like the new girl on the island. Cheerful, sarcastic, and kind, like Raine, yet so different in physical appearance. Could the two somehow be connected...? Riku/OC/Sora, Sora/OC(in the end)

Disclaimer: Dude, I already told you. I dun own zip.

Quick Note: Hrrmmm… uh… le'see… ummmm…

**Riku:** Review, dammit!

**Shinju:** -swats Riku- Be nice!

**Sora:** -nods- Yeah, you have to say it politely. Like this: You don't have to, wonderful readers, but I would appreciate it very much if you would please review. It helps me and encourages me to write more, you see. Thank you.

**Shinju:** -huggles Sora- That was exactly how you should do it!

**Sora:** -smug smile-

**Riku: **-glares at Sora- Show off.

**Sora: **-glares back- What was that?

**Both: **-start bickering-

**Shinju:** -blink blink- Uh… okay, I'll be going now. –walks off-

**Both:** -stop fighting- Wait, Shinju! Wait for meeee! –follows-

**Me:** -blinkity blinketh- Uh… right. Anyways, here's chapter two- Adventure: Begun.

**/****------Reader------/**

Riku pointed a gloved at the first island, which was the smallest of the four. "There first!" Shinju nodded, and descended quickly. Kairi was screaming at the top of her lungs and clinging to a cringing Riku's arm as the three neared the island faster than Riku had expected. Pupils set in aquamarine irises widened as the silver-haired head of Riku tilted upward at Shinju, whose faint brows were furrowed in concentration.

"WE'RE GOING TO DIIIIIIIEEEEE!" Kairi shrieked. Riku looked down, and gasped when he saw their feet dangling just meters away from the sand, the distance between their bodies and the ground quickly becoming smaller. Riku squinched his eyes shut and… felt himself placed on the ground gently? One eyelid lifted, then the other, and the 16-year-old blinked twice. Shinju had apparently stopped very quickly and unnoticeably, since he had not felt the force of the air rushing past him decline until he touched the ground. He looked to Shinju, who was staring at him as if he were a Behemoth crossed with Cerberus.

"What are you waiting around for? Let's go!" she hissed, and Riku swiftly grabbed an astonished Kairi's wrist before dashing off. Having no other way for anyone to get the message that Heartless were attacking, Riku and Kairi began to shout.

"A storm's coming! Heartless are back!" Shinju flitted from here to there, sucking in large amounts of air and shouting to the islands the same warning.

_…Meanwhile…_

Cerulean blue eyes had widened quite a great deal. Before the spiky-haired boy stood the King of Heartless himself, thought now his body had decayed and he was using body parts of Heartless and skin of Heartless to hide the signs of his being a zombie-like being. "Ansem…" he hissed. Sora tightened his grip on his Keyblade as Ansem chortled maliciously, the boy's knuckles turning white under his gloves.

"Yes, young one. I have returned. But at the moment I would rather not waste my time with a weakling such as you. Now tell me, where's the half-breed and the youngest Princess of Heart?" Sora blinked. Half-breed? _'Who is he talking about? Riku?_' Sora pondered. The Keywielder was brought out of his thoughts was a blast of darkness hit him square in the stomach, sending him flying back a good six feet onto his rump while Ansem laughed.

_…Back to the trio…_

As soon as everyone had fled to their homes on the first island, they had taken off for the next island, where the yelling and screaming was repeated. This continued until the trio reached the last island, which was already swarmed with Heartless. People were running from, screaming at, and swatting helplessly at Heartless that attacked them.

"Guys! We have to help them to their homes!" Kairi shouted. Riku ran toward a little boy of three, scooping him up before a Heartless could sink its obsidian claws into the boy's heart. Shinju scooped up two twin girls and their mother, and Kairi was dragging a man by the hand to his home. After depositing the people in their houses and making sure they locked everything, they went back for more people.

Shinju turned after picking up a petite lady to see a Heartless sneaking up on Kairi. "Kai-chan, watch out!" The maroon-headed girl quickly ran off to bring the child she was holding back to his home. Shinju ran towards another man, and took the two to their home. Riku picked up the last three children, escorting them home, too.

"Is that everybody?" Riku asked the girls. A shrill scream confirmed that they _hadn't _gotten everyone. The trio's heads snapped in that direction to see a little girl having her heart devoured. Shinju froze as memories she'd tried so hard to push to the back of her mind resurfaced. Screams. She could hear shrieks in her head. Both were feminine, and it only took her a nanosecond to remember who they'd belonged to. A new scream joined them, pulling Shinju from her memories. Kairi was running and Riku looked angry.

Shinju spun around to see a man with the arms of a Guardian Heartless and patches of Heartless skin on any part of his body that was visible. He did not have thighs or legs, just hips with the tail of a Dark Ball that granted him the gift of levitation and flight at the end. His outfit was very dark. The tanned man wore a dark purple tank top with jagged edges that had large rips in it. One such rip revealed a hole where his heart would be located, and inside that hole a heartless symbol dimly glowed red. On his hips he wore black leather Speedo-like bottoms, which had a hole in the bottom for his tail. Four belts with many buckles and spikes hung loosely around the evil man's hips. The bulky Hearltess arms had five large spiked bracelets on each arm, looking slightly like spiked gloves. A trenchcoat he wore _looked_ like it was crocheted with yarn, but it was really crocheted with Heartless antennae. The trenchcoat was sleeveless and the edges of the armholes jagged, some Heartless antennae jutted out from the armholes. His flowing silvery-purple hair gave him away as the King of Heartless.

"Shinju, look out!" Riku called, kicking a Heartless who had just tried jumping for her heart. But Shinju wasn't paying attention. The lavender-haired girl was staring at the golden glowing eyes the man had. She'd seen something like this before. A memory flashed into her mind, and she gasped as she watched Sora attack the man.

"We can't fight him! Not now! Not here!" She shouted, causing Ansem's attention to turn to her. He grinned maliciously, pushing Sora towards them. Kairi immediately ran behind him and hugged him, whimpering like a puppy.

"I must thank you, Keywielders, for bringing the half-breed and the youngest Princess to me, but I'm afraid your life will be ending today." Shinju's eyes narrowed.

"No one," She paused to cup her hands in front of her. Light seeped from where her heart was, pouring into her hands. "And I mean no one," she continued, separating her hands. The liquid light stayed in place as she spun around once, arms extended to both sides. The other three watched in awe, having never seen such magic before. The ball widened and thinned, eventually turning into a ring. The ring stopped growing when it was around Sora, Riku, Kairi, and herself. "Is allowed to call me," She snapped her fingers with boths her hands at the same time, and the ring flashed. The top spread upward and together, as did the bottom, to form a bubble around the four. The thrusted her arms upward, shouting, "A HALF-BREED!" The bubble shot into the sky, at what seemed to be the speed of light.

Ansem growled as they rocketed into space. "No one, except your future Master." He chortled and disappeared in a flourish of dark purple and black smoke.

**-----------/End Chapter/--------------**

Awww… that wasn't very good, was it? There're prob'ly mistakes, since I didn't proofread.

**Riku:** DUH it wasn't. I didn't get to do much! Why did _SORA_ get to be Mr. Hero?

**Sora:** Hey! It's not like I _want_ Heartless and trouble following me everywhere!

**Both:** -start bickering-

**Shinju and Kairi: **-sigh- Boys…

**Me:** Well anyway, I'm sorry this chapter was so short. I really am.

**Shinju:** -nods- She is, you know.

**Kairi:** -nodnod- She kept hitting herself in the head with her dictionary.

**Me: **Which, might I add, is very large and _very_ heavy.

**Shinju and Kairi: **-nodnod- It is, it is.

**Me:** Shinju, Kairi, would you like to do the honors?

**Shinju:** -grabs Riku- We hope you liked this chapter,

**Kairi:** -grabs Sora- and we hope to see you next time!

**Me, Shinju, Kairi: **See ya! –poof-


	3. Shinju: Angel

Pearlescent Tears

Summary: SEQUEL TO CRYSTALLINE KEY **Rain:** It was falling outside. It was falling down her cheeks and onto her damp pillow. It was the name of the girl alone in her dim-lit home, crying. Sad, longing Raine. **Sky:** So bright and cheerful. The exact opposite feelings of the being whose name bared its meaning. Depressed, lonely Sora. **Ground:** So strong and dirty. Just like Riku was. Strong as always on the outside, but feeling dirty for kissing another guy's girl. **Pearls:** Beautiful and mysterious, just like the new girl on the island. Cheerful, sarcastic, and kind, like Raine, yet so different in physical appearance. Could the two somehow be connected...? Riku/OC/Sora, Sora/OC(in the end)

Disclaimer: -hiding in shadows of an alley as the creator of Kingdom Hearts walks by- YAAAAH! –tackles him/her- Huh? –head rolls off… it's a dummy- Darn. Guess I dun own it, then.

Quick Note: Erf. I lied. I was reading Kingdom Hearts fics and got inspired and wanted to write KH. So here's another chapter.

**Sora:** -kicks American Girls fic- That'll teach you to mess with the almighty Kingdom Hearts people! WE RULE!

**Riku:** -moons the Harry Potter cast- YOU DROOL!

**Shinju and Kairi: **-blush-

**Raine:** -twitch, blush-

**Sora:** -shields Raine's eyes-

**Me:** RIKU! –puts censored bars on him- You're not supposed to give out free shows! How many times have I told you?! If you wanna please the fangirls, make them _pay_ you so I can have enough money to finally buy KINGDOM HEARTS! MUAHAHAHAHAHAAAA! –cackles maniacally-

**Riku:** -pulls up pants- Whatever.

**Sora:** Here's chapter three- Shinju: Angel (Literally).

**Me:** Erm… Warning, I guess. This chapter has… I guess you could say one-sided fluff? Yeah, that's it.

**_/--------------------Reader---------------------/_**

****

The atmosphere in the abandoned apartment building was cool and a bit damp, seeing as it was raining outside. Not that the unconscious Sora had actually looked out a window to confirm his assumption. The dull pitter-patter of raindrops falling with an air of elegance from the sky onto the roof only to slide off and fall once again to the ground lead him to believe it was raining. In the seclusion of his mind he felt the ghost of a smile tug at his lips as he imagined the rain sparkle like crystal in the moonlight, their random sparks of light shining bright through the inky, dark blue heavens. Almost instantly after the image faded another one appeared in its place- the time one of Raine. This kind of weather always reminded him of her.

And why wouldn't it? The most painfully obvious connection between the girl and the natural phenomenon were their names: Raine and rain. Any halfwit would think of her during a storm… if they knew her name, that is. The way the drops of water glimmered as if they were crystalline reminded the Keywielder of her keyblade, and the stormy blue sky reminded him of her eyes. When distraught, they became a darker shade of blue, and, seeing as how they were a stormy sea blue in the first place, he felt skies like the one he thought up resembled them.

The spiky-haired teen was pulled from his thoughts when he felt his head lifted and rested on something soft and warm. Two pads of fingers placed themselves on his temples, one on each, and rubbed them very gently. For a moment, Sora convinced himself to pretend it was Raine to ease the pain loneliness and longing brought.

The lavender-haired fairy-angel hybrid blushed a deep crimson he she accidentally eavesdropped on Sora's dreams, which became more and more passionate by the second. Oh, how she hated having to interrupt a dream such as this. Don't take this the wrong way; Shinju was not one to look for- or even want period- a free show. The pale femme just didn't want one of her two masters to have to awaken to find his beloved was not with him physically as he'd hoped, but only in his heart. Gasping, her eyelids shot up as the dream took a rather… flirtatious… turn. Shinju removed her fingers from Sora's head and fought the urge to slap him for thinking such things about a girl. Sighing, she mentally reminded herself that he _was_ a teenage boy. A _hormone-driven_ teenage boy.

Finding she would not receive any answers from him, Shinju looked to Kairi. A faint eyebrow rose quite high as saliva leaked in a constant stream down the side of her mouth onto her bed. Something told Shinju _she_ certainly wouldn't be of any use. Hesitating for a moment, Shinju allowed her pearl orbs- tinted a rusty red in the dim light- to flicker to her second master. She bit her lip, the dusty rose-coloured skin of it turning white near the area where her teeth were putting pressure.

Master Riku was certainly a good-looking boy. Heck, 'boy' didn't seem the right word to call someone who looked like that. He was a man in her eyes, and some exceptional boyfriend material, from what she'd already seen. Shinju slowly glided soundlessly over to his bed, the gleam of his silver strands reflecting the light of the moon into her now green-fading-into-blue eyes. Said locks were scattered around his head on the mattress, some of the platinum strands daring to fall into his eyes and allure her further. A contented sigh escaped his lips, which were pale and looked smooth as porcelain under the light of the luminous celestial body just outside the window.

Shinju's gaze wavered to the rest of his upper body, which was all that was not covered by his blankets and therefore the only part of him visible. His arms were well built, but not big and beefy like some bodybuilder's were. No, their muscle was distinguishable but not bulging as if they would burst, which suited him well. The same went for his chest and torso, maybe even a little more so than his arms. The enticing creature that lay below her had spoiled her eyes and so they were fogged; unable to see enough to have her brain comprehend what her arm was doing. Reaching out, she lightly ran her short, tidy fingernails along the seemingly stretchy, tight fabric that clung to Riku's chest so very teasingly.

Shinju froze when his hand lifted and gently scratched the trail of her fingers, and then rested his hand on top of hers. A shock ran up her arm and into her brain when their skin touched, and she gulped down the almost nonexistent moisture in her slightly dried throat. Shinju glanced at her actual master's face in a frightened manner, a scarlet tint rising into her cheeks at the thought of being caught admiring him. ((A/N: Shinju's like a guardian to Sora, Riku, and the other Princesses; a slave willing to give her life for their sakes. Riku is her _actual_ master, though, because her past is so dark and depressing. So, Riku has a power over her that Sora doesn't, since Riku was formerly the King of Darkness, who, so it would seem, has power over those who have darkness in their hearts. Yeah. Back to the story.)) A relieved exhale of air flew from her mouth at the sight of his eyelids blanketed over his aquamarine optics, signaling he'd yet to awaken. She quietly slipped her hand out from under his, and walked to the window.

'Is this some kind of task, Princesses of Heart?' Shinju thought to herself. 'A test to see if I can control my own emotions so I may keep those I must protect alive?' She heaved a great sigh, resting her head on the glass.

"Shinju?" Shinju jumped and spun on her heel, peering through the dim light at Sora, who was rubbing his eyes. She put a hand to her heart, sighing.

"What are you doing up, Sora? You should be resting, as we have a day of work ahead of us," she said, turning back to the window. Shinju sighed when she heard Sora get up and walk over. 'Honestly, do all boys have to do the opposite of what you say?' she thought.

"What did Ansem mean when he called you a half breed?" Sora asked, his blue orbs holding an air of confusion about them.

Shinju crossed her arms, leaning against the wall by the window. "I… I'm a hybrid. Half fairy, half angel. Most call me a 'faingel'."

"Wow! Really? That's cool!" Sora exclaimed quietly, so as not to wake the others. He grinned goofily at her, causing her to smile.

Shinju's smile faltered, however, when she added, "I'm glad someone thinks so. I was the freak of my planet. Everyone made fun of me for being mixed blood."

"Oh… Well that's just wrong! You're a wonderful person. You're smart, and you're nice, and…" Shinju looked at him questioningly. Her expression reminded him of Raine. "…So much like her." Shinju tilted her head to one side slightly, confused.

"Who is he-"

"You've both got a creamy complexion…" Sora, blinded by his love for his girlfriend, took Shinju's hand and stroked it. Shinju blushed profusely. "A slightly fiery personality…" His other hand cupped Shinju's cheek. "And such full lips…" Sora trailed off, leaning in toward Shinju. She was breathing rather fast and her heartbeat was quickening.

"Sora… don't..." Shinju breathed, frightened that this would ruin her mission. She tried to back up, but then remembered she was against the wall.

Sora stopped, sighing. "You sound just like her when you say my name…" He stepped back, reluctantly removing his hands from her cheek and hand. Shinju was staring at him, bewildered. "I'm sorry, Shinju. I dunno what I was thinking."

Shinju's eyes softened. "No… I'm sorry." She gave Sora a soft smile, and then said, "Now you get back to bed." Sora nodded, obeying as Shinju walked back to the window. He looked to her for a moment, and could've sworn he saw her angel wings before he drifted to sleep.

/-----------------END CHAPTER THREE-----------------------/

I know, I know. It's short. I felt guilty about not posting in a while and starting so many more fanfictions (I have two more started on my computer that I haven't uploaded yet), so I decided to post a little bit. I'll try to finish a nice, long chapter, but I'm not making any promises. R&R, please?


	4. Fushicho: Feisty Inferno

**Pearlescent Tears**

Disclaimer: -has stuffed shirt with apples and is trying to seduce KH people into givin' Kingdom Hearts to her- Tonight I'll be your Naughty Gi- Wha? –apples fall out- OH NO! –KH people leave- WAAAAHHH! I ALMOST HAD KINDGOM HEARTS!! BUT NOW THEY'RE GONE AND I STILL DUN OWN IT! –bites apple- Stupid apples…

Quick Author's Note: Um… le'see… what do I want to say?

**Shinju and Raine:** -sings and dances- Tonight, I'll be your Naughty Girl! I'm callin' all my girls!

**Riku and Sora: **-gasp, drool-

**Hotaru: **Oh yeah. ROCK ON, BEYONCE! That's what I wanted to say. Seriously. Her song Naughty Girl makes me wanna get up and shake my groove thang, and it has also inspired me to make a lemony one-shot on… well, I dunno yet.

**Shinju and Raine:** Tonight, I'll be your Naughty Girl!

**Hotaru: **-sings-And callin' to all my girls, "Here's chapter four… Fushicho: Feisty Inferno."

---CHAPTER FOUR START---

"Shinju? Shinju, wake up." Riku commanded gently to Shinju, who was asleep on the floor near the window. Sora, Kairi, and Riku before sighed when their only response from Shinju was a lazy wave of her hand.

"This _always_ works for me…" Sora muttered, leaning down and whispering to Shinju, "If you don't wake up, you'll miss breakf- OW!" This time Shinju had smacked Sora for trying to wake her up.

"Watch a pro," boasted Kairi, leaning down to her ear. She sighed once, and shouted at the top of her lungs, "WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKE UUUUUUUUUUUP!"

"AAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIEEEEEE!" Shinju shot up to the ceiling… literally. She'd spread her wings instantly, flapped them once, and hit the ceiling. Her wings disappeared when she fell back down. A fire sparked into Shinju's eyes and she balled up a fist, holding up to Kairi. "What was _that_ for?!"

Kairi laughed nervously, pushing the fist away gently as she answered, "Well, you wouldn't wake up… so…" Shinju's eyes widened.

"I… really?" she asked, bewildered.

Riku nodded. "Yeah. Why? Is that something we should be worried about?" he asked, his eyes- as well as the others'- immediately filling with concern when he asked this.

Shinju shook her head quickly, and suppressed a wince when her head hurt. She smiled, "No, of course not!" They gave her skeptical looks, so she added, "I was just surprised because, well, y'know… anyone would be surprised after waking up to Kairi screaming in your ear." The boys and Shinju laughed, while Kairi crossed her arms and pouted. "Well, anyways, we should get go… ing." Shinju paused while she stood up, since she felt dizzy. But she didn't let the others see. It was Shinju's mission to protect them, even when she's sick, not their mission to protect her when she's sick. And yes, thought Shinju would never say it out loud or show it, she was sick, and she knew why. They needed to hurry.

"Yeah! Let's- wait, why should get going?" Sora asked, confused.

Shinju tilted her head to one side, seeming to say, 'Don't you know?', but then realized she hadn't told them what they had to do. She suppressed a sigh, figuring she was going to have a hard time protecting people if she kept forgetting things because of her sickness. She smiled and laughed. "Whoops! Sorry, I forgot. We're supposed to find six girls, who are the Princesses of Destiny, who are the 'replacement Princesses of Heart', I guess you could say." Shinju walked out of the house they were in, the confused others following.

"But why do the Princesses of Heart need replacements?" Riku asked as they walked.

"Who are the girls?" Kairi asked.

"Are you one of them?" Sora asked.

Shinju explained, "Well, the Princesses told me that they created more than one Keyhole for each world, so, if Ansem were to come back, it would be harder for him to bring darkness to the worlds. They told me that this task took much of their energy, so they gave the last of it to seven girls. That way, while the girls are saving the worlds, they can regain their energy and the girls can live normal lives again, with no memory of their adventures."

Shinju then sighed at the next question. "I have no idea. That's what I hate about this. The Princesses of Heart said the Keyblade would tell us, but… they didn't say how. I guess we'll have to wait and see. And no, I'm not one of them, otherwise your Keyblades would have done something."

Riku stopped. "Keyblade**_s_**?"

Shinju and the others stopped, too, as Shinju turned and laughed again. "Oh, silly me!" She stuck her fingers into a pouch around her waist, and then took them out. Both were covered in gray, glittery dust. Shinju made a peace sign and held it up in front of her lips, palms facing up. She blew the dust off her index finger, then her middle finger. The dust from her middle finger hovered to Kairi, and took the shape of a Keyblade. It then solidified into the Keyblade.

The rod of Kairi's Keyblade was a soft pink with the words 'Eternally Yours' engraved in and painted purple on the side. The grip of the Keyblade was inside a deep red outline of a heart, on the end a keychain of one large heart, one smaller heart, and then an even smaller heart. All three of them were gold. The actual blade was a solid red heart overlapping two halves of a broken maroon heart.

The dust from Shinju's index finger floated to Riku, also forming and solidifying into a Keyblade. His Keyblade's rod was navy blue with metal spikes scattered along it. The hilt looked like a normal sword's hilt, except in the middle there was an actual eyeball held there beneath glass. On the sides of the hilt were two orbs, filled with darkness. The grip was black, and its keychain had a charm of a black head with beady yellow eyes grinning and showing its fangs. The blade was a dragon like wing. The digits of the wing were black and the wing membrane was purple. ((A/N: Look up a chart of a bat's body online… it should be able to tell you what I'm talking about if you don't understand.)) Along the arm of the wing was 'Darkchild' scratched into it.

"Wha- what? I have a Keyblade, too?" Kairi asked in astonishment. Shinju nodded.

"The Princesses of Destiny each have their own element. Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Lightning, Ice, and Love. They receive their own Keyblades to lock their own keyholes. The two true Keywielders, Sora and Riku, are the elements Light and Darkness. Sora, obviously, is Light. Riku is darkness. Your element is Love, thus you receive Eternally Yours, the Keyblade of Everlasting Love," Shinju explained.

Kairi sighed dreamily and looked to Sora, fluttering her eyelashes a bit. "Hear that? _Everlasting Love_." Sora rolled his eyes and Shinju and Riku sweatdropped.

"Good for you. Well, let's get- huh?" Sora was interrupted when his Keyblade appeared in his hands. All three Keyblades present began glowing.

"What's going on?" Riku asked Shinju.

She shook her head, "I don't know!" A white beam shot out at Shinju, who 'meep'ed and flinched. She did not, however, move. It struck where her heart was located. Her eyes squinched up in pain. "Sora, stop!"

"I can't make it stop!" Sora said, trying to move the Keyblade. It seemed to be magnetized to its spot, unable to move. Another beam, this time black, rocketed from Riku's Keyblade to Shinju's heart. Shinju gasped. Eternally Yours emitted out a pink beam, which, like the others, went straight to her heart. Shinju's eyes opened suddenly, glowing white.

Shinju lifted into the air, without her wings, and the Keyblades tilted up to keep their beams in their place. By some trick of the wind, her hair flowed and floated about her as she hovered. And then, she closed her eyes, and opened them again. They were normal. The beams dissipated, and Shinju fell from the sky. In her dazed state, she could not summon the power to grow her wings.

"Shinju!" Sora, Riku, and Kairi shouted simultaneously. Riku was the first to react. He ran up underneath her and caught Shinju. He didn't stumble or anything, since, surprisingly, Shinju weighed next to nothing. 'Must be an angel thing,' he mused.

((A/N: Which it is. Don't think there's something wrong with her. Although…

**Sora and Riku:** -clamps hand over Hotaru's mouth- SSHH! _They'll _read it! Don't spoil it!

**Hotaru:** Mmph mmph. (Translation: Right, right.)

**Sora: **Continuing…))

Sora and Kairi ran up behind him, looking down at Shinju with concern. "What just happened?!" Sora asked, eyes wide.

"Guys, look! She's not breathing right!" Kairi whispered in a scared tone. Sure enough, Shinju's breaths were fast and uneven.

"We have to get her medic-" Riku began, only to be interrupted when Shinju jumped, startled. She took a few deep breaths, and then her breathing was normal again.

"Are you alright?" Riku asked. Shinju then realized she was in his arms, and, because of the way his arm was positioned, her head was tilted very close to his face. She blushed abundantly and jumped out of his arms.

Shinju coughed, regaining her composure, and replied, "Yes. I'm alright." She clasped her hands behind her back to keep the others from seeing that they were trembling.

"What happened?!" Sora repeated.

"Well… I saw a mailbox and a girl with black hair. She was lighting letters on fire…" Shinju sweatdropped as she said the last sentence. "Pyromaniac," she said a little bitterly, her eyes softening sadly for a fraction of a second before she closed her eyes in happiness, clapping once. "That probably means she's the girl we're looking for! The Feisty Inferno!"

Kairi clapped, too. "Alright! Another girl! GIRL POWER!" Riku and Sora sweatdropped, and Shinju chuckled.

"Right, right. So we're off to the first district, then?" Riku asked. Shinju shrugged.

"I don't know. You tell me. I've never been to this place before," she responded. "Lead the way!" Riku nodded and ran through the door to the first district. Sora and Kairi followed, but Shinju hung back. She put a hand to her head. Her forehead was hot, but that wasn't why she'd put it there. 'What was that… I saw?' she thought. Sighing, she quickly followed after the others.

Just as Shinju said, there was a girl with thigh length black hair sitting atop the mailbox, plucking letters out and setting them on fire, then watching the ashes drift to the ground with maroon eyes. She wore a halter top of crimson denim that showed two inches of stomach and had jagged, frayed tendrils hanging down. She also wore maroon hip huggers and black knee high boots underneath them. On her left leg an orange ribbon spiraled from her ankle to her knee and was tied in a knot at her knee to keep it there. On her right leg was another orange ribbon, but this time it went from her knee to her thigh. The knot was in the same place on the right leg as it was on the left. On her slender, smooth hands were fingerless orange gloves that went to the middle of her forearm.

She grinned a white-toothed, mischievous smile as her scarlet fingernails flamed on the ends. The flames licked the letter she held, and soon it burned to ashes in her hand. "Sorry, Mister Merlin, but it looks like you got burned," she purred, then blew the ashes into the air… and right into Shinju's face. "What the?!" The girl shouted, startled at the sudden appearance of a girl with… wings?

Shinju blinked the ashes out of her eyelashes, then ran a hand through her hair to get the ashes that had settled in the lavender strands out. "Sorry to um… disturb you, but…" Shinju put her index finger into the pouch, and then blew the dust to the girl when she took the finger out. It turned into a Keyblade with a red rod, and a hilt inside the outline of an orange flame. The grip was maroon, and the blade was in the shape of a flame. The outer part of the flame-shaped blade was orange, and the inner part was yellow. On the end of the keychain was an unbreakable orb with a flame dancing inside. On the side of the rod were the words 'Feisty Inferno'.

The dark haired girl caught the Keyblade as it fell, raising a dark brow. "And this is…?"

Shinju put her hands on her hips, a bit irritated at this girl's lack of knowledge of legends. "A Keyblade. You are its Mistress. The Feisty Inferno, Keyblade of Fire."

"And…?"

Shinju suppressed the urge to slap some sense into this ignorant girl. "And the Keybladers are going to save the worlds from darkness. Now, come on down and meet the others!" She shouted the last part excitedly, happy to have found another Keyblader. Shinju grabbed the girl's hand, and lowered her down to the ground. "This is Riku, Master of Darkness, Kairi, Mistress of Love, and Sora, Master of Light. I'm Shinju, their guardian as well as yours and the other Princesses…"

"Wait! Hold up, hold up! _Princess?_ As in foofy, frilly, 'I-need-to-be-saved-and-protected-and-crap' _Princess?_" The girl's eyes narrowed to slits, as if saying, 'How dare you?!'

Shinju shook her head, waving her hand as if waving the thought away. "No, no, no! You're a Princess of Destiny! You get to fight and there are no frilly or foofy outfits involved. Now, who are you?" Shinju gave a friendly smile.

The girl replied with a smirk, "Fushicho." Fushicho looked her Keyblade over. "So, what do _I_ get out of this?"

"The satisfaction of knowing you helped save the light." Kairi said proudly. Fushicho burst out laughing.

"Yeah, right!" She hooted, clutching her stomach as he bent over and laughed.

"Oh, come on! You're so selfish!" Sora shouted, aggravated.

"Brat," Riku said simply. Fushicho slowly turned her maroon orbs onto Riku, and instantly fell in love.

"Wait- is _he_ on _your_ side?" Fushicho asked, sidling up to Riku. Riku rolled his eyes, and Shinju's jaw dropped, shocked. Sora snickered and Kairi glared at Fushicho.

"Wha-" Shinju started.

"I'll gladly join if that means I can be close to this super hot _God of a guy_." Shinju glared at the giggling Fushicho, her face tinting pink slightly with anger. Fushicho glanced at Kairi, who was glaring daggers at her, and stuck out her tongue before looking back to Riku. Sora looked between the girls and sweatdropped, wishing he got this kind of attention so Raine would get jealous.

"Yes, yes, yes, he's on our side, but would you _please_ refrain from hanging all over him?" Shinju asked quickly, gently pushing Fushicho away from Riku and standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. Riku smirked at Shinju and thought in his head, 'Saved by the angel'. Kairi, too, stood beside Shinju, as if protecting Riku with her.

Fushicho raised a brow, then laughed merrily. "Ah, I see. Okay, then. I'll join you guys. After all, I haven't had a battle of romance in quite a while." She walked up to Shinju and Kairi and put a hand on their right shoulders. "May the best woman win."

Shinju blushed and shook her head. "No, no, no, no, no!" Riku chuckled slightly as she repeated 'no' over and over while shaking her head and waving her arms. She was cute when she was flustered. Sora pouted, feeling quite forgotten, and Kairi walked back over to Sora, also pouting. "It's not like that! I'm his _guardian_, for Princesses' sakes!"

"Oh… so then I have him to myself?" Fushicho asked, once again standing next to Riku. She hugged his arm and leaned her head on his shoulder. Riku sighed and stood there. After all, it wasn't _so_ bad to have this Fushicho girl hang on him. It made Shinju jealous, didn't it? "C'mon, Riku, let's go to the hotel. It's getting late."

"What?!" Shinju squeaked, growling and glaring at the door the led to the Second District. How dare she?! _How dare she?!_ A shrill scream caused Shinju to snap out of her jealous state and came back to her senses. "Oh, shoot! That was Kairi!" Shinju grew her wings and flew over the door into the Second District. "Oh, man! How can I be a guardian if I'm getting jealous over nothing?!" she muttered, glancing around.

"Shinju! Help!" Kairi screeched from the ledge a little ways down from the roof of the Gizmo Shop. The faingel flew over to her comrade and scooped her up.

"Where're the others?" Kairi pointed to the Gizmo Shop's roof, where Fushicho, Riku, and Sora were battling a Heartless.

The Heartless resembled a spider, because of its two gangly arms with clawed hands, one pair of legs with spiked boots on the feet, and one pair of spiked tentacles that had fireballs flared on the ends. The head had two beady, glowing yellow eyes and a sinister smile, as well as a drill sticking out of the bottom and a flamethrower sticking out of the top. It was stomping around at the moment, trying to squish the Keybladers.

"C'mon, we've got to help!" Shinju said, flying up as Kairi shouted, '_We_?! What _we_?!'. Shinju set Kairi on the roof and Kairi summoned her Keyblade, then ran out of the way of an attack. At first Kairi held back and healed people while Riku, Sora, and Fushicho did all the attacking, but she soon ran out of magic. Shinju pushed her forward towards the fray. "No need for that. I'm the guardian, so I'm the one who will heal and protect you guys." Kairi gulped, and nodded meekly, running up to one of the Heartless Spider's feet and slashing at it.

"Look out!" Riku called as the Heartless's eyes flashed red and it began to thrash it tentacles, as well as shooting fireballs from the flames around the tentacles. Shinju swooped down and grabbed Fushicho out of the way, who glared at her.

"I don't need your help!" she snapped at the lavender-haired girl.

"But we're all a team! Here, I'll drop you on one of his legs, and you cut it off. Ready?"

"Wait! Hold the pho-"

"GO!" Shinju shouted, releasing Fushicho. Fushicho landed on the head near the flamethrower, which was spurting out flames like a volcano. Ignoring what Shinju said, she attacked the flamethrower. That way her allies wouldn't have to constantly dodge the fire spurting out.

Meanwhile, down below, Kairi was gaining a little more courage. After one particular slash, her Keyblade glowed. "Wh-what's going on?!"

Shinju turned to her after slashing the Heartless with her sword, and smiled. "You're learning a new power. The words will come to you, and when they do," Shinju paused to jump away from the Heartless's drill and heal Sora. "Summon all your power into your hand, and feel it flow into the Keyblade. Then say the word- EEK!" Shinju yelped as one of the clawed hands raked through her side. Her wings vanished and she fell to the ground, coughing.

"Shinju!" Kairi shouted, worried for her friend. Her violet ((A/N: Not really sure what color Kairi's eyes are… and I'm too lazy to check.)) eyes widened as the words came to her. 'I can feel it! My magic… concentrate, Kairi…' she thought, closing her eyes. She opened them after a few seconds to see her Keyblade glowing pink. She grinned and looked to Shinju, gasping when she saw Shinju about to get stomped on. Riku was preoccupied with a tentacle, Fushicho was nearly finished destroying the flamethrower, and Sora was hacking away at the clawed hand that grasped him. 'It's up to me to help…' she thought, narrowing her eyes. "FRIENDLY EMBRACE!" Kairi shouted.

A pink light flew to Shinju and swirled around her, leaving a red trail behind. The light eventually made its way to the top of Shinju, just a foot above the center of her head, and the trails it left behind connected, making a shield as the Heartless foot came down. The Heartless's foot exploded when it came in contact with the shield, and the Heartless would have toppled over if its free claw hadn't caught it and acted as a replacement foot.

Shinju stood and staggered away to Kairi. She closed her eyes and put a hand over her wound, muttering, "Cura". The wound healed instantly. She smiled at Kairi. "Thanks, and well done!" Kairi giggled, bowing.

"You're welcome." She turned back to the spider. "Now, let's exterminate this bug!" Shinju laughed nervously, managing not to sweatdrop at Kairi's bad joke.

"Right, right," Shinju replied as they ran towards the drill. "Stop!" Shinju shouted, and the drill stopped. Kairi and Shinju proceeded to chop the drill off.

"Almost… there…" Fushicho muttered, giving the flamethrower another powerful slash. It started to shake, and Fushicho jumped away, hanging from the tentacle Riku was battling. The flamethrower exploded. "BOOYAH!" Fushicho shouted, smirking. The tentacle started to writhe, and Fushicho lost her grip. "Yikes!" she yelped as she fell.

"Gotcha!" Riku said as he caught her. He put her down before she could start to flirt, and gave the tentacle a few good slashes before it tore off, falling limp and extinguished to the ground.

Fushicho looked to Sora, who had torn off the claw and was now dodging fireballs the other tentacle was throwing. She and Riku exchanged glances and nodded, running over to help.

"Freeze!" Sora shouted.

"Thunder!" Riku added.

"Firaga!" Fushicho finished. All three spells hit the tentacle, and it burst into orbs of health and magic, which the three collected before attacking the other booted leg.

The drill finally exploded after Shinju and Kairi received many cuts from it, and also after Shinju repeated 'stop' incantations dozens of times to stop the drill. Kairi and Shinju stopped to catch their breath. They didn't have much time before the remaining claw swiped at them. They dodged, and the spider tipped over, falling off the Gizmo Shop roof and to the ground. Shinju flew up, magic swirling in the hand she raised.

"ANGEL FEATHERS!" she shouted. Feathers of light shot out of the magic in her hand and flew to the Heartless, piercing it. The Heartless's dark heart hovered out of it agape jaws and into the night sky, eventually disappearing.

The Keyhole at the fountain appeared with the fiery background rather than the butterfly one it had when Sora sealed the Keyhole. Fushicho's Keyblade shook, and a red light rocketed out of its tip into the Keyhole. A click was heard, and the light disappeared, as well as the Keyhole. Everyone sighed with relief, and Shinju turned to them, smiling.

"We did it!" She shouted happily, punching a fist into the air. Shinju's face softened and her eyes fluttered closed. Her limbs went limp and her wings folded. Before blacking out, she heard everyone shout, "Shinju!"

---CHAPTER FOUR FIN---

**Hotaru:** YAY! I actually put a semi-good battle scene in this!

**Everyone:** -claps- Hoorah!

**Fushicho:** WH00T! I'm finally here! –cuddles up to Riku-

**Shinju and Kairi:** -glare-

**Riku:** -sigh-

**Sora:** -daydreaming about Raine-

**Hotaru:** What is Shinju hiding? –points to the 'What was that… I saw?' line- And no, it wasn't the Feisty Inferno.

**Fushicho:** Although I _do_ appear in a lot of people's heads! –sigh- I'm just too darn attractive.

**Shinju:** Whatever. –rolls eyes-

**Harry (from American Girls):** And why's Shinju so weak all of a sudden?

**KH Cast:** -gasp- HOW DARE YOU WALK INTO OUR FANFICTION!

**Riku:** -moons Harry-

**Harry and others:** EEK! MY EYES! –runs off-

**Hotaru:** RIKU?! WHAT HAVE I TOLD YOU ABOUT FREE SHOWS?!

**Riku: **-runs off-

**Hotaru:** -chases-

……….


	5. The Past of Shinju: Tragedy

**Pearlescent Tears**

Disclaimer: IF YOU KINGDOM HEARTS PEOPLE DON'T GIVE ME THE DEED TO THE GAME, I SHALL FART ON YOOOOU! –they say no- FINE! SUFFER MY STINK! –turns arounds, farts- MUAHAHA… -turns around, and they have on gas masks- …aw, -bleep- no!

Quick Author's Note: I am SO bad when it comes to finishing fics without starting others ones.

**Shinju:** What she means is…

**Riku:** She's started a Tales of Symphonia fic.

**KH Cast:** -group glares at Hotaru-

**Hotaru:** -sheepish smile- Aw, come on! It was a challenge!

**Sora:** From your friend!

**Kairi:** Which you very muchly so wanted to do!

**Hotaru:** -sweatdrop- Can _I_ help it if Kratos is an unbelievably sexy bishie who deserves a fanfiction by moi? With a few new characters in it? One of which is mine? Who falls in love with him? –gets a group glare- Meh. Well, at least I'm probably one of the best OC-fic writers on here! Well, except that Raiden no Ai fic. That was just WOW. And the Forsaken fic… and the For the Love of Past and Present fic… oh, god! I SUCK! –runs off, crying-

**Group:** -shrug-

**Hotaru:** -comes back, perfectly fine- Oh, real supportive, guys.

**Shinju:** Here's chapter five-

**Fushicho:** The Past of Shinju: Tragedy.

**Shinju:** Hey, I was supposed to introduce the chapter!

**Fushicho:** Well, _I_ did it better than you would've!

**Kairi:** ANYWAY! –everyone is quiet- On with the chapter!

---Chapter Five Start---

"Shinju…" The faingel opened her eyes and sat up, blinking at the six women in front of her.

"Princesses!" she exclaimed, immediately throwing herself to the ground in a bow.

"Shinju, you must hurry. You _know_ that, don't you?" Belle asked.

Shinju nodded, and coughed. "Yes… your reminder has already come into effect," she muttered, coughing twice more. Belle merely nodded, and the others disappeared.

"The Keyblades will guide you…" their voices chorused until they finally faded away. Shinju's eyelids began to droop, and her body relaxed as she fell into a deep slumber.

Meanwhile, Riku, Kairi, and Sora were all worried over Shinju. Fushicho scoffed at them. "Geez, you act like she's gonna die if you take your eyes off her for one second!" She sauntered over to Riku and hugged his arm, burying it between her breasts. "C'mon Riku, we've been here _all night long_. Let's go get something to eat," she suggested.

Riku rolled his eyes and removed his arm from her suggestive embrace. His aquamarine eyes narrowed at her maroon ones. "How could you even _suggest_ that when something's wrong with Shinju? She's important to all of us," he said. _'And really important to me…'_ he added in his head, his eyes flickering over to Shinju's sleeping form.

She seemed so peaceful, lying there. Her hair was sprawled on her pillow in all directions. It was so versatile, curving and tilting and flowing over every wrinkle on the pillow and every feature on her face. Riku was tempted to move the tresses that dared to block parts of her face from his view, but, even though Kairi and Sora were scolding Fushicho and she was bickering with them, he didn't want to be caught. Riku didn't want anyone to know he had a soft spot, a weakness. Now that Ansem was back, he didn't want her to be used against him. It was getting harder and harder to do so, however. He smiled slightly as Shinju sighed heavily and rolled over towards him.

Now that he thought about it, Shinju didn't really relax much. The first time they had met, at Destiny Islands, she was knocked out, not asleep, and as soon as she woke up, she'd gone straight to business on her search for Sora. And after Sora introduced himself, she'd gone straight to telling him about her mission. Then the Heartless attacked, and _Shinju_ had been the one to haul Kairi and Riku to the islands. Afterward, she had taken them here, to Traverse Town. Riku had found her sleeping on the _floor_ the next morning, and she never dawdled if she could help it. It had been Shinju's idea to get going right after she woke up, without any breakfast, even! Riku, Sora, and Kairi had had something to eat before she woke up, and Riku _was_ going to offer her some, but she'd jumped up saying they should get going. Even when she'd fallen from the sky, she said they should get moving. His eyes softened as he thought of this. Glancing at the others, who were still bickering, he gulped slightly and started to lean in towards Shinju…

"NO!" Shinju shrieked shrilly, her eyes shooting open. She jumped, trying to sit up, and ended up knocking her head into Riku's. "OW!" they chorused, both falling onto the bed. Shinju put a hand to her forehead where she'd bumped him, and Riku was blushing ever so slightly as he got off of her, also rubbing his head. "I'm _so_ sorry, Riku! I didn't know you were there!"

"It's fine," he replied. Sora and Kairi rushed over to Shinju, while Fushicho glared at her for getting all the attention.

"Shinju! You okay? Why'd you scream?" Kairi questioned.

"Did you have a nightmare?" asked Sora, his eyes filled with concern as he took her hand and patted it. Shinju's eyes, for a moment, looked like tears were going to start welling up, but then she put her usual "I'm fine' shield up.

"No, it's alright. But anyway, we should try to find out where the next Princess is," she said, changing the subject. Riku eyed her suspiciously. She hadn't answered Kairi's question about why she'd yelled. The others, however, seemed to forget it.

"I'M HUNGRY!" Fushicho shouted, angry that no one cared about her needs.

Shinju blinked, and smiled, "Oh. Well, you guys can go ahead and have breakfast. I'll use your Keyblades while you're gone, so I can find the next girl."

"You sure? Don't you want some breakfast?" Sora asked. Shinju, not wanting to seem unhealthy, nodded.

"Some lightly buttered toast would be nice, but I'd like to get to business. So if you guys could bring some back, I'll have already found out where the girl is," she explained. They nodded, and left, but Riku stayed behind. Shinju smiled at him, tucking her hair behind her ear. "Go ahead, Riku. I'm sure you're hungry. After all, you put up quite a fight against that spider."

"What was your nightmare about?" he asked. His question was so blunt that Shinju gasped. She regained her composure and smiled again.

"I didn't hav-"

"Yes, you did." Shinju fell silent as Riku glared at her slightly for trying to lie to him. Her eyes lowered to the ground, and she allowed tears to well up in them. Riku saw this, and his eyes softened. Sitting next to her on the bed, he murmured comfortingly in her ear, "Sometimes it's good to talk about it." She squinched her eyes shut, her left hand grasping the clothing over her heart, and her shoulders shook with concealed sobs. Riku put his hand over hers for comfort. "Tell me," he whispered, though no one was around to hear.

"It… it was a long time ago…" she began, opening her eyes and looking into Riku's blue orbs. Riku's eyes widened as he saw a story begin to play in them.

"Wh-what is-"

"I'm showing you… my past… my nightmare," she muttered. "Be silent, and you'll _hear_ the memory, too," she said. "I'd been walking home with my friends Karma, a centaur, and Michiko, a water nymph. We were talking about something… I think it was a boy… when Michiko stopped us." And with that, the memory began to play.

The water nymph's sapphire eyes were wide as she lifted a shaky hand, pointing at something above. "Guys… look." She said, her voice small. The centaur and faingel looked to the sky. Shinju gasped and Karma let out a small, "Oh no.."

Smoke was rising from the direction they were headed, which was home. Shinju spread iridescent angel wings and took to the skies while Michiko got on Karma's back and galloped toward the town.

'Please, please let the people be all right.' Shinju thought frantically, flapping her wings harder, faster. She didn't bother to land, but rather just let her wings shrink, and she dropped to the ground. She landed on her knee, wincing slightly, and then looked up. A look of sheer horror was on Shinju's face at what she saw.

Buildings were burning, and the huge fire was spreading fast. People were running, screaming, and swatting at strange creatures. Some had weapons, others didn't. Some were injured, and some were on fire. Karma and Michiko then rode up. Karma reared back at the sight, causing Michiko to fall from her back. Michiko didn't feel any physical pain, but her mind was filled with panicked thoughts.

A little black circle on the ground was moving toward them. They watched, their minds too numb with fear to register that it might hurt them. It slowly rose from the ground, becoming a three-dimensional creature. It looked like a black ant with its antennae, but had arms and legs, hands and feet. There was no detail on the creature, except for its two, glowing yellow eyes. These eerie eyes focused on them, and the creature lunged forward, its claws extended.

"Shinju!" Karma and Michiko called simultaneously as the claw went right through her chest without any blood being drawn. Instead there was a vortex of swirling black and purple, the creature's hand reaching inside. They watched, dumbfounded, until Shinju screamed in pain. The two grabbed the creature's legs, pulling it away from her. As its hand was drawn out of her, the vortex became smaller and smaller until it was gone. ((A/N: Eh… that's how I imagine a Heartless would take someone's heart.)) Michiko punched the creature, and Karma stomped on it. The creature disappeared in a small, dark purple flash.

Shinju sat up and put a hand to her heart, breathing faster than usual. "You alright?" Karma asked. Shinju nodded, then paled when she looked behind Karma. "Wha-" Karma began, but stopped when she turned. Their village… it... it was gone! The creatures were tackling people, and performing the same action as the one that Karma killed did to Shinju. There were swarms of the little shadow creatures, and one large group set its sights on the Michiko, Shinju, and Karma.

"Run!" Michiko shouted, turning on her heel, and the other two obeyed. Shinju stopped after a few paces, looking back. The figure of a man could be seen behind the fire. Squinting her eyes, she saw the glint of his golden glowing eyes. Turning on her heel, she caught up with the others. The three ran back into the forest, dodging trees and ducking as the shadows jumped down from branches. They kicked and swatted and ran their way to their training place. "We've lost them, but we need to properly equip ourselves if they find us." The girls picked up their weapons, and readied themselves for battle.

Karma pulled her quiver's strap on, putting extra arrows in it. She hung her bow on her quiver, and then looked to the others. Michiko was stuffing magic scrolls, gems, and potions into her pockets, her scepter strapped to her back. When she was done, they both looked to Shinju. Shinju was magically putting forty ninja stars and her sword into a white orb. She tossed it into the air, spread her arms out to her sides, and then brought her hands over from head in a loud clap. The orb swirled with white and blue, then disappeared. She nodded to her friends, and they ran into the cave they had had sleepovers in many a time.

"Do you think… maybe the door's open today? If it is, we can hide in there." Shinju suggested. She was talking about a door in the back of the cave carved out of a large stalagmite. It was stone, and had a strange heart shape on it. Almost everyone makes two strokes to make a heart, and each of the strokes curved on the ends. The curves on the bottom of the heart curved outside the heart, while the other two curved inside the heart. The other two knew what she was talking about, and nodded.

"It can't hurt to see, right?" Karma asked. Shinju and Michiko replied with a "Course not", and then the three ventured farther into the cave.

Pretty soon they came to the door, and could hear the creatures entering. Shinju looked for a knob, but there wasn't one there. "Shinju, open it! I can see their eyes already!" Michiko hissed, blasting a fire spell at a few. Shinju began pounding the door, becoming frantic. The creatures were drawing closer.

"I can't! There's no knob! I can't break it down, either!" Shinju held her hand up, her sword materializing in it. She slashed at the door, only to make sparks fly from the door. She kept trying while Michiko and Karma fought. After many slashes, Karma let out a keening screech, and a purple glow appeared in the darkness of the cave. Michiko was busy trying to fight her way toward Karma, as was Shinju. Shinju looked up as the scream faded, and a thud was heard.

"No! Karma!" Shinju yelled, tears brimming up in her eyes. She pushed and slashed as an object in the shape of a heart was held up. The heart was glowing slightly red, but the glow disappeared as teeth of one of the creatures sank into it. "No! No! Spit it out! Spit it…" She ran toward it, and jumped. "OUT!" She slashed the creature, and it disappeared in a flash. She searched for the heart, but it was nowhere to be found.

"Shinju! We have to leave, more are coming!" Shinju looked toward the front of the cave, and saw millions of little yellow eyes watching them. She ran back to the door, and Michiko followed. Michiko blasted spells of every element at the door while Shinju slashed at it. When Michiko's spells stopped firing, Shinju looked back at her with a questioning look. Michiko was kicking and swatting and firing spells on the floor, covered in the shadows.

Shinju raised her leg to kick them off, but fell over when her leg was pulled back. A creature jumped on her head, and pulled at her hair, raking its claws on her scalp. Shinju twisted and turned as more and more creatures circled around her. Shinju tried not to scream. She didn't want to be weak. She had to be strong. With this in mind, Shinju rolled over; making most of the creatures fall off. She crawled over to Michiko, yelping and wincing when creatures clawed at her. Michiko's eyes were milky white, her skin the same color.

Tears stung Shinju's eyes, and she let them fall onto the cold cave floor. "Mi-michiko… Mich-chiko… My best friend." She stood, fists clenched, her sword in her right. "YOU KILLED MY BEST FRIEND!" She raised her sword to slash a nearby creature, when movement near Michiko caught her eye. Smoke was swirling around her, until it blocked sight of the nymph. When the smoke faded, Michiko was no longer there, but instead… a creature.

"Michiko?" The new creature's yellow eyes glanced at Shinju. It slowly advanced toward Shinju, while she backed up. "Michiko, it's me." It kept approaching, its eyes locked on where her heart was located. "Michiko! Please, don't! You're not one of them! You're better than this!" She backed up a bit more. The once-Michiko creature jumped at her, its claws flexed. "No! Michiko, fight it!" She backed up against the door, and the evil creature dug its claw into her flesh, tearing her heart out. Shinju was sobbing, her tears flowing freely. She slumped against the door, sliding until she sat with her back against it, as 'Michiko' opened her mouth and bared her teeth, and took a bite out of a corner of her heart. Shinju screamed, "How… how can you be so heartless?!"

Suddenly there was a bright light, and Shinju could barely see her heart float back to her chest, the bite mark still visible in her heart. It went back to its rightful place under her right bosom, and she could feel the door behind her become watery. A pair of hands grabbed her and dragged her through the now glowing door, and soon, after floating for two minutes, her savior and she touched on solid ground.

"Are you alright?" a feminine voice asked. Shinju looked up at her rescuer, to see it was a brunette in a blue dress, her hair tied back in a blue bow.

"Why'd you save me?" Shinju asked, her eyes filling with tears again. "Why didn't you let me die with my friends?"

The girl's brown eyes softened. "Dear, you possess the potential we need."

"…We?" Five other girls appeared. One blonde wore a tattered dress, another blonde wore a simple medieval dress, a black-haired woman wore a crimson Arabian dancer outfit ((A/N: If you'll recall, Jafar made her wear this in the movie when he took over Agrabah)), a shorter-haired girl with the same color hair as the Arabian wore a blue and yellow dress, and a young blonde wearing a shorter blue dress appeared from behind large oak doors. Lights of different colors glowed in their hearts, and most of them transformed.

"Cinderella," said the one who had worn a tattered dress, whose hair was now drawn up in an elegant bun and whose attire had changed to a pale blue formal gown. Upon her feet were glass slippers.

"Aurora," the medieval girl introduced, now wearing a blue dress that swept to the floor. The top was fitted and the material was flowy.

"Jasmine," answered the Arabian girl, who now wore an aqua green outfit. The top showed much of her stomach and its sleeves were off the shoulder. Like her previous pair of pants, these poofed out slightly at the bottom. Her hair was now in a low ponytail that was separated in two different places by aqua hair ties, and a jeweled headband rested atop her head.

"Snow White," replied the black haired girl with chin length strands. Her dress had not changed. The top part was still blue, the skirt was still yellow, and the sleeves still puffed out and had red ovals on them.

"Alice," the youngest responded. She, too, had not changed.

"Belle," said the girl who had saved her. Her hair was now done in an elegant style, with a small bun in the back and the rest of her hair hanging down. Her dress was golden and looked extremely expensive. "We are the Princesses of Heart."

Shinju's eyes widened. "Oh! My Princesses!" she said in awe, bowing. Belle chuckled.

"Now Shinju," she said, making Shinju look up at her by tilting her head up with her fingers. "We need your help. If you accept out task, you'll live forever, acting as a guardian angel to the universe. You will stop tragedies like the one you just experienced from happening, if we tell you to. After all, some things cannot be tampered with. But if you decline… we'll allow you to die and join your friends."

"But think first, Shinju," said Cinderella. "What would your friends want you to do?" Shinju sighed…

"And that's when I took this job… the job of protecting the Keywielders," Shinju finished, blinking. The memory was gone from her eyes, replaced by tears that leaked out and streamed down her cheeks.

"Shinju…"

"I go to sleep every time I'm not needed, and am born again when I'm called. This time, it was Raine's- a Keywielder's- dying hope that called me," Shinju suppressed her sobs. "I… I can't even live my immortal life to the fullest! I'm forced to sleep when my work is do-" She began to cough violently, hunching over as she covered her mouth.

Riku patted her back, feeling helpless. "Shinju… are you sick? Maybe you should rest a little while longer…"

"No, I'm fine," she lied. Shinju realized just how much she'd told Riku. Just because she told him all that, didn't mean she could tell him about something else she dared not speak of. If she did, he'd tell, and everyone would worry over her, and rush too fast. Sure, Shinju rushed them slightly, but slightly. They'd rush too fast and make a mistake… possibly a fatal one. "It's just… trying not to sob… it itches my throat." She gasped as Riku's strong arms wrapped around her, pulling her much too close to him.

"Why do you restrain yourself?" He murmured huskily, nuzzling his face into her hair.

"I-I have t-" He put a gloved finger on her lips. She could feel the warmth of his finger through the material.

"You don't," he whispered, his lips brushing against her ear. Shinju breathed quickly, her heart beating fast. This was what she'd dreamed of for more than two thousand years; her fantasies of love to replace the chunk of her heart missing were coming true now. Riku's lips curled into a grin against her ear. He could feel her chest rise and fall rapidly, and could even feel her heartbeat against his chest because they were so close. He knew she was flustered because of him, and it made him feel daring.

Shinju groaned –half because she wanted this, half because she knew she couldn't- and turned her head to the side so his lips were no longer on her ear. His breath could no longer be felt on her ear, and she was happy for that, since it took away from the enchantment he held over her. He smirked and held his breath, moving so slowly it went unnoticed by Shinju until his lips met her neck.

Shinju gasped and pushed away, spreading her wings to startle him so he'd let go. Her plan worked, and she hovered to the other side of the room, catching her breath that she didn't know she'd been holding. She landed, and let the façade appear in her eyes again. She couldn't let him love her. Shinju knew her destiny, and it would only hurt him, from what she'd been told. "No, _you_ don't. Don't understand, that is. You never will… I won't let you!" Shinju shouted at him, angry with him for seducing her so easily, for making her flustered, for making her fall for him fast and hard, too. She was also angry with herself. If she'd chosen to die, she wouldn't be going through this. Lastly, Shinju was angry with the Princesses for putting her through such a test. Why must she disappear when the universe came to complete peace? If she didn't, she and Riku could be… Shinju blushed. Well, she and Riku could be 'bonding' right now, without worry of hurting him when the worlds became serene once and for all.

"Hey guys!" shouted Sora cheerily, barging through the door with a bag in his hand.

"Sorry for taking so long," Kairi apologized.

"These bozos couldn't decide which restaurant to go to, so they went to them all… and each one had a line of about twenty-seven people…" Fushicho muttered, irritated. "Can we eat now?"

Shinju smiled, making herself forget what just went on between Riku and her. "Let's." And so, they eat breakfast and engaged in conversation about what adventures they might have on this save the world mission. All the while, Shinju could feel Riku's eyes on her.

She didn't look at him…

…and her heart hurt because of it.

---Chapter Five End---

**Hotaru:** -wipes brow- Phew! That took a while to write. –shrug- At least its done, right? And it's five pages long! WH00T! That's good, because lately I haven't been able to get past two on every fanfic I've been writing. –sigh-

**Riku:** -staring at Shinju-

**Shinju:** -not looking- Anyways,

**Sora:** Hotaru-san wants to apologize for making so many other fanfictions, don't you?

**Hotaru:** -sweatdrop- Uh… yeah. I've also started writing an Aladdin fic.

**Kairi:** -glare- So that makes how many stories you have to write?

**Hotaru:** I don't _have_ to write these! They aren't posted!

**Fushicho:** What about the fictionpress story? H2O?

**Kairi:** And this story?

**Riku:** And American Girls?

**Sora:** And Such Cruel Fate?

**Shinju:** And Crazy Tragic Now?

**Group:** -sarcastic- Why don't you tell your dear readers about your upcoming stories? –glares-

**Hotaru:** -didn't realize it was sarcasm- Good idea! –goes off to Settings to type it-

**Group:** Uh… right. Bye, everyone. –disappears-


	6. Tsurara: Icicle Luster

**Pearlescent Tears**

Disclaimer: -Kingdom Hearts deed thingy is sitting on a bed with silk sheets- MINE! –jumps onto bed to grab it- WHAT THE! –slides out the window- Nuuuuuu!

Quick Author's Note: Sorry that the last chapter was so short. But yay! You learned more about Shinju!

**Shinju:** -shudders at the memories-

**Riku:** -rubs hands together- I can't wait 'til we learn that Shinju loves me!

**Sora:** Pfft. She's gonna love _me_, dude.

**Riku:** Nuh-uh!

**Sora:** -glares-

**Fushicho:** Boys, please! Why fight over Shinju when you've got me?

**Kairi and Shinju:** And what! You're supposed to be Miss Perfect!

**Fushicho:** Why, of course! –smile-

**Kairi and Shinju:** -glares and tackles-

**Fushicho:** AAHHH! HELP ME! –is being attacked-

**Hotaru:** -whistles innocently- Anywaaay…

**Sora:** Here's chapter… six, right?

**Riku:** Duh, stupid!

**Sora:** Shut up! –tackles-

**Hotaru:** … -sweatdrop- Chapter Six- Tsurara: Icicle Luster.

CHAPTER SIX START-

Pearlescent eyes looked on as the owner's companions devoured their food. Sora and Kairi certainly had gotten a lot of food, since they'd gone to every restaurant, and there were about five located around Traverse Town. Shinju herself wasn't feeling very hungry, however. For one thing, she was busy scolding herself inside her head for letting Riku almost… Shinju shook her head, knowing she'd blushed if she dwelled on the memory too long. For another thing, she wasn't feeling hungry. She had no appetite at all, which was weird since she hadn't eaten in a few days. 'Well, it's not _that_ weird…' she thought, knowing full well why she was sick. The faingel also knew she'd only get worse, so they'd have to hurry. 'The Princesses of Heart are so kind… why would they make a constant reminder so cruel?' she thought to herself, pondering it.

"You okay, Shinju? You haven't touched your food…" Kairi pointed out, looking concernedly at her friend. Shinju smiled at her.

Shinju was going to say something when Fushicho snorted and scoffed, "Maybe she thinks she's too good to eat what we got for her. The nerve!"

Shinju stood and glared at Fushicho. "It's nothing like that! I…" she trailed off for a moment, thinking of a lie, then continued, "I don't have to eat. Angels don't have to eat food, and you guys have been working so hard, I felt you deserve more than I do." Shinju smirked triumphantly and Fushicho leered at her.

"Wow… you don't have to eat?" Sora asked, amazed. Shinju giggled at him, since he looked like a little child with his eyes so wide like that.

"Nope. I can if I want to, but I don't need to." Shinju looked out the window and frowned. "My goodness… well, we'd better get going."

Sora and Kairi nodded, and Fushicho pouted, but eventually put her food down. "So, where to?" Sora asked.

Shinju blinked. "Wha… OH!" she exclaimed, her hands flying to her face to cover her mouth. She blushed profusely. "I forgot! I'm so sorry! I was… wondering… how you guys were holding out," Shinju lied.

"Okay, then. Let's get our keyblades out, then," Kairi said. Sora, Riku, and Kairi summoned their keyblades. Fushicho did, too, after wondering what they were going to do with their keyblades if they didn't even know where they were going. Fushicho was surprised to see Sora, Riku, and Kairi point their keyblades at Shinju.

When the beams of light sprung out of them, Fushicho gasped. "Alright, I don't like Shinju all that much, but you guys don't have to attack her!" The dark-haired femme yelped as Feisty Inferno lifted to shoot its own red light ray as Shinju's heart. Like before, Shinju was lifted into the air. This time when she fell, she spread her wings and landed softly on the floor.

"I saw a tournament between a man and a girl who gave off an icy aura. It's…" Shinju thought, and the words came to her. "…Icicle Luster."

"The Ice Keyblade's Mistress, I'm guessing," Fushicho said dryly, twirling her Keyblade.

"Naw, ya think?" Sora asked, putting on a goofy expression. Riku, Shinju, and Kairi laughed while Fushicho crossed her arms and turned her nose up.

"It sounds like we'll be going to the Olympus Coliseum." Riku muttered.

Shinju nodded. "Now let's get going!" Riku was about to point out that they didn't have a Gummi Ship when Shinju began to repeat the magic she'd done when they were getting away from Ansem.

"What the!" Fushicho shouted in surprise as the bubble formed around them.

"Olympus Coliseum!" Shinju shouted as she thrusted her arms up. The bubble didn't blow the roof up, but rather everyone passed through it like ghosts. Shinju was perfectly still, her opened eyes shining the different colors of the rainbow. She looked like she had had Stop used on her. The others, however, were able to float around. Riku floated over to her.

"…Shinju?" he called, reaching out to her. A barrier shot up, and he jerked his hand away. He heard Shinju's voice in his head, saying, 'I need concentration.'

While the other floated around, Riku thought back to her, 'You're just trying to avoid me.'

'…And if I am?' Shinju asked calmly.

'Shinju…'

'Don't start, Riku. You don't know anything about me, and when you find out, you'll be hurt…' Shinju stated, her tone softening.

'But I still want to know, Shinju!' Riku half shouted. 'Please, let me in. Don't try to lock yourself away,' he pleaded.

'…No,' Shinju replied. The lavender-haired girl wished she could. She really did! But, there were things about her that would only worry Riku. There were things that would disappoint him, sadden him… she couldn't let him know.

Riku frowned at her. 'Why won't you stop that whole guardian act? Relax a little.'

'I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you…' Riku smirked, and, though she didn't see it, she could tell she worded that sentence wrong. Really, though, she'd worded it exactly like her heart had told her to. 'Any of you…' she added, going against her heart. Riku sighed and shook his head. He knew Shinju would come to him when she was ready, but he could tell she needed to let some things out.

'Whatever you say, Shinju.' And with that, he hovered away to Sora, Kairi, and Fushicho, who were doing back flips.

Finally, the bubble touched the sandy ground of the Coliseum Gates, and it popped. Everyone dropped to the ground, including Shinju, who was now mobile. She landed on her feet and turned to look at the entrance to the Lobby. Shinju looked over her shoulder at the others and smiled. "Well, let's get going, shall we?"

Sora took a deep breath and grinned. "Ah, the smell of battle. Can we enter a tournament while we're here?"

Kairi paled. "T-tournament?"

Fushicho snickered at her. "What's the matter, Wimpy?" Kairi glared as Fushicho howled with laughter.

Riku glared at them all, "Shut up, guys! We're here on a mission."

Shinju laughed nervously. "No, no! We can enter a tournament. Heck, it's a good idea." Kairi was about to protest when Shinju said, "Besides, Kairi, Fushicho, you guys need to learn some more magical techniques. It's the perfect opportunity to learn them!" Kairi sighed, and Fushicho groaned.

"Aww… it's like school!" Fushicho whined as they entered the Lobby. A pudgy satyr walked up to the group.

"Hey, hey, hey! One word: Tournament Pass!" he barked, his chubby hand extended to collect them.

"That's two words, Phil.." Sora muttered with a sweatdrop.

Phil's eyes widened at the sight of him. "Hey, rookie! How ya been?" he asked, walking over and grinning at Sora. Phil looked over the group. "Hey, kid, who's that?" he asked, pointing to Riku.

"Riku. This is Fushicho," Fushicho rose a brow and twitched at the sight of Phil. "This is Kairi," Kairi gave him and big smile and punched her fist into the air. "And this is Shinju," Sora introduced as Shinju smiled and waved.

"Hey-ey-eeey!" Phil hooted, walking around the three girls. Fushicho made a face, finding Phil quite disturbing looking. She'd never even heard of a half-man half-goat, otherwise known as a satyr. "These your girlfriends, kid?" he asked. Phil growled flirtatiously at Fushicho, kissed Kairi's hand, and winked at Shinju. Kairi and Shinju giggled in mirth as Fushicho twitched and stuck her tongue out in disgust.

"Umm… no. But can we go in? We wanna be in the next tournament." Sora said. Riku narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms as Phil sidled over to Shinju.

"Oh yeeeah! I remember now! You already have a girlfriend! Where is she?" Phil asked, looking around. Sora looked down at the his shoes, his eyes becoming sad. Phil didn't take notice, but rather totally forgot about the subject. "Well anyway, I guess I can let you guys enter. For old time's sake." He walked over to the doors and opened them. "Go on in, and no teams! This tournament is one-on-one matches only! The tournament starts in a few hours. Shinju dashed out to the first row of bleachers, watching a the girl she'd seen and a blond man with one wing battling. The others followed her and also watched.

The girl had pure white hair that faded into a dark navy blue towards the tips. Her hair was crimped and hung down to her collarbone. There was a light blue headband settled in her hair that covered most of the back of her head. She was pale, but not too pale. She wore a grey tube top that tapered to a point in between her cleavage. The only thing holding the tube top in place was a black circular button with a diamond-shaped wire around it. Attached to this top were two silver shoulder guards ((A/N: Y'know, like the thing Cloud was on his one shoulder…)) that went down to her elbows. Attached by a metal ring to the bottoms of the shoulder guards were translucent periwinkle baggy 'sleeves'. On her hands, which gripped a plain katana, were black gloves, similar to the kind you'd wear in winter to keep your hands warm. The white-haired girl wore her starry blue short shorts ((A/N: Think Yuna from FFX-2 kind of short. Yeah.)) low on her hips. Two silver chains that were attached to the thick wire around the button hung down and held up a light grey pleated miniskirt. In the back, her tube top laced up with silver chains that were similar to the ones attached to the wire, and the excess chain hung down to hold the skirt up in the back. For footwear she wore knee length black leather boots, and she also had on silver knee guards ((A/N: Kind of like knee pads)).

The girl grinned as the blond man- Cloud, Sora said his name was- came running towards her. She sidestepped him and jumped onto his back, having a little piggyback ride. Cloud sighed as she began to giggle. "Tsurara, I thought you were going to be serious this time," he said dryly.

The girl, Tsurara, giggled as she cooed, "You're just too damn sexy for me to battle you!" Cloud sighed and ran a hand through the blond strands of hair that hung in front of his face.

"You know I have someone else in my heart…" Cloud muttered. Shinju took this chance to step up. She flew over and landed in front of Tsurara and Cloud.

"Hello, Tsurara. I'm Shinju. It's very nice to meet you." Tsurara blinked and nodded.

"Yeah. Nice to meetcha!" she replied with a grin.

Kairi walked over. "I'm Kairi. Have you heard of the Keyblades?"

Tsurara squealed and flipped off of Cloud's back and onto the ground. Cloud winced at the high-pitched noise. "Ooooh yes! I've always wished I had one, since my katana's not all that great… it's old."

Shinju smiled. "Well, today's your lucky day!" She dipped her finger into the glittery powder and blew it to Tsurara. The dust turned into ice particles that formed to make a Keyblade. The Keyblade was entirely made of ice, but was unbreakable. A snowflake inside of an octagon surrounded the grip. The charm on the end of the silver chain was a white snowflake. A few crystal-like ice structures protruded from the Keyblade's rod, and the actual blade was a large group of these structures. Engraved in the side were the words 'icicle luster'.

Tsurara squealed again. "OH MY GOSH! It's my own Keyblade! What can I do to repay you?" she asked. Shinju smiled.

"Well, the thing is, you're a Princess of Destiny, as well as the Mistress of the Keyblade of Ice. We need you to-"

"Ya gotta save the worlds with us or somethin' like that." Fushicho interrupted as she walked over. She eyed Cloud with interest. "Oooh.. and who is this hottie?"

Tsurara glared at Fushicho. "He's mine! Back off!" Cloud sighed and rolled his eyes.

"I told you, I love Aerith!" he said exasperatedly.

"…Aerith must die…" Tsurara and Fushicho both said. Jokingly, of course. ((A/N: I never did like Aerith that much. Her overall design was too plain for my tastes, as well as too pink. I will wear pink, but not that much of it! Plus she didn't kick butt or anything. That really sucked. At least you get to battle Yuffie in the frickin tournament. –shrug- But that's just me.))

Shinju sweatdropped. "Anywaaay… will you do it?"

Tsurara glared at Fushicho, who was edging over to Cloud, before replying, "Sure! Anything to impress _my_ Cloud!" When Tsurara said 'my', she pushed Fushicho away from Cloud.

Shinju smiled. "Well, let's get training, then." Sora and Riku, who didn't want to train with a bunch of girls, went out to the Coliseum Gates to train.

_…Later…_

"Okay, guys! Show me everything you've learned!" Shinju commanded excitedly. The girls had made so much progress, she was giddy.

Fushicho went first. "Hellfire!" she shouted, shoving her Keyblade onto the ground. A whirlwind of fire burst out from underneath a now very battered Heartless dummy the girls had been using. The fire whirlwind swirled around the dummy, and it was engulfed in the flames. The whirlwind died down, but the dummy was still aflame.

Tsurara stepped up. "Slush Rain!" Sharp icicles rained down on the dummy, piercing it, along with icy cold snow. The snow extinguished the flames.

Kairi then joined in. "Heartbreaker!" Kairi slashed the side of Eternally Yours with the broken heart at the dummy. Pink light in the shape of a broken heart soared at it. Once the halves of the heart were on each side of the dummy, they smashed together, crushing the dummy in the process.

"Volcano Cannon!" Fushicho screamed, pointing the Keyblade at the dummy and holding it like a gun. The hand that would be near the trigger was glowing red, and as Fushicho 'pulled the trigger', a burst of fire erupted from the top of the Feisty Inferno. It hit the dummy, once again setting it on fire.

It was once again Tsurara's turn. "Icy Hands of Death!" Tsurara dropped her Keyblade as her hands started to glow grey. She swiped her left hand, then her right. Two large hands of light swooped towards the dummy and passed right through it. The dummy was frozen solid from the attack.

Kairi grinned, finally getting into the battle spirit. "Dark Valentines!" Several razor sharp Valentine hearts appeared in her hands. The redhead threw them at the dummy like ninja stars, and they sliced the dummy free.

"Fiery Flower!"

"Snowflake Shuriken!"

"Breakup!"

Fushicho's Fiery Flower attack caused a flame shaped like a flower to 'sprout' from the dummy's head. The fire spread onto the rest of the dummy. Tsurara's Snowflake Shuriken technique sent several snowflakes flying at the dummy like ninja stars. Whenever a snowflake pierced it, the area two inches around the snowflake would freeze. Kairi's attack called Breakup sent a large heart flying towards the dummy. It crashed right through the dummy ((A/N: Think Sailor Moon's Moon Spiral Heart Attack. If you haven't seen Sailor Moon, you could probably find this attack somewhere on the Internet)).

Shinju jumped into the air and spread her wings, twirling around. "Yes, yes, yes, YES!" she shrieked happily. Landing back on the ground, she ran up and hugged each of the girls. "You guys are doing great! This is wonderful! These attacks will really help when we start battling stronger Heartless!"

Kairi smiled, though beads of sweat rolled down her forehead. "Yeah! That was great!"

Tsurara flexed and curled her hands, grinning cheekily at them. "I feel so much stronger now."

Fushicho smirked. "Oh yeah! Now I'm pretty _and_ I can kick some major butt!"

Shinju laughed. She was so happy, she didn't even get annoyed at Fushicho's conceited remark. "You guys should go and eat. The tournament's coming up." The three girls smiled and nodded in agreement, heading for the Lobby to find something to eat. Shinju watched them with pride in her eyes.

"Quite the teacher, aren't you?" Shinju spun around to find Riku standing there, watching her.

"I suppose. I didn't do that much. It was the girls who learned themselves, after all." Shinju said, blushing slightly with humility. Sure, Shinju had taught them to look deep inside themselves to find the power they were strong enough at the moment to unleash, but that wasn't much. Okay, so it was basically the whole thing. But Shinju wasn't one to be full of herself, unlike Fushicho. Shinju was then aware of how close Riku was standing. "I really should go practice some techniques, so if you'll excuse me…" She moved to walk past him, but he grabbed her wrist gently and tugged Shinju to his body.

"You should relax, Shinju," he said sternly, staring into her eyes. Shinju furrowed her brows.

"We had this talk already." She replied flatly.

"Last time you didn't listen."

"Maybe I don't want to listen."

"Why do you insist on pushing me out?"

"I already told you!" Shinju shouted, frustrated.

"Did you?" Riku asked, feigning surprise. "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening then." He grinned puckishly at her. Tears welled up in Shinju's eyes, and she leaned against Riku. Riku's grin faded. "Shinj-"

"You're so difficult, Riku…" she murmured, resting her right cheek on his chest as she cried. She didn't sob, though she really wanted to. Riku could tell that Shinju was still holding her emotions back from the way she shook with suppressed sobs. He encircled his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She found that his warmth and scent were extremely soothing, and she let out a shaky, yet still slightly contented, sigh.

"Tell me, Shinju." Riku whispered into her ear.

"I wish I could…" The faingel whispered back. She attempted to pull out of his embrace, but he held her closer. Shinju looked up at him to give him a questioning look and found his lips were mere centimeters away from hers.

"…You can," he breathed. Without wasting another second, Riku pressed his lips to hers in a very passionate kiss. Shinju didn't respond for a moment, out of shock, but then her heart kicked in, vetoed what her brain told her to do, and she kissed him back. His left hand rested on the small of her back, keeping her hips pressed her his own, while his other hand's fingertips ran up her back to her neck. She gasped when Riku's right hand pulled on her right spaghetti strap. Riku too this opportunity to deepen the kiss, and he got about two seconds worth of tasting Shinju before she pushed herself out of his embrace.

The silver-haired teen watch Shinju amusedly as she tried to regain her breath and tried to hide her red cheeks. She fumbled with the spaghetti strap before finally getting it to stay on her shoulder, and then straightened out her clothes. Riku eyed her swollen lips, craving more so badly that the urge was nearly irresistible. He'd already gotten more than he'd bargained for, however. He hadn't even thought Shinju would kiss him back. Riku knew he would regret not going with his first plan, which had been to just kiss her gently. He'd probably scared her away for at least another two keyholes ((A/N: About three to four chapters worth)). Maybe not. He hoped not.

Shinju coughed, trying to order herself, and stuttered, "I-I… I n-need to get ready f-f-for the tourn-nament." She turned on her heel and ran into the Lobby, and Riku stared at her retreating back wistfully.

END CHAPTER SIX-

**Hotaru:** If this has mistakes, then I am sorry. I haven't updated since like, January, so I wanted to get this up fast. Oooooh! A li'l RikuXShinju for all of you who've been waiting!

**Tsurara:** Don't think, however, that they're gonna be together now.

**Fushicho:** That stupid Shinju's gonna be all confused and deny her feelings. What an idiot! If Riku had kissed _me_, I would've frickin made out with him!

**Hotaru:** Some of us, Fushicho, aren't so loose. -sweatdrop-

**Fushicho:** Are you suggesting that I'm a slu-

**Kairi:** -interrupts loudly- SLUSHIE!

**Fushicho:** Oh, who gives! This is probably gonna turn into anM (Mature)fic anyway!

**Hotaru:** Don't jinx it! I'm trying not to make it M! Unless the readers want it to be...?

**Riku:** Where'd Shinju get to?

**Hotaru:** She's probably hiding from you.

**Riku:** … -grins impishly- She can run, but she can't hide! –runs off to find her-

**Fushicho:** Wait! Riku! Make out with _me_ insteeeead! –follows-

**Kairi and Tsurara:** Oh no you don't, Fushicho! Riku and Shinju belong together! –chases after her-

**Sora:** Umm…

**Hotaru:** -holds up a Raine plushie- Sit, boy.

**Sora:** O.O –sits on the floor and begs like a dog-

**Hotaru:** Now, fetch! –throws the Raine plushie-

**Sora:** -runs after it-

**Hotaru:** Hee hee hee. –watches- O.O! Sora! Ew! Don't do that! It's an inanimate object, for crying out loud!

**Sora:** -growls and runs away with the plushie-

**Hotaru:** HEY! –turns to readers- See ya next time! –runs after Sora-


End file.
